§ 45. Sir John Farrasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to ensure fair competition between the proposed new community radio stations and the existing independent radio stations, in so far as the respective levels of franchise fees and degrees of programme control are concerned.
§ Mr. Giles ShawThe licensing and regulatory framework envisaged for the two-year experiment in community radio reflects the fact that the coverage areas will in general be much smaller than those of independent local radio stations, and that there are important differences in the nature of the service to be provided and the transmission arrangements. The future financial and regulatory framework for all radio services will be addressed in the Green Paper on radio, referred to in my reply to a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Leominster (Mr. Temple-Morris) on 8 May at column206.